Paris-based designer Maria Pergay is known for her innovative use of stainless steel—a passion that began in the 1960s and has continued into her eighties. Born in Romania of Russian-Jewish descent, Pergay escaped to Paris with her mother at age six at the onset of WWII. After the war, Pergay studied costume, set design, and sculpture, and opened a shop in Paris's Place des Vosges to sell her decorative silver objects.

Upon a commission to work with steel, Pergay began to create her now iconic minimalist stainless steel furniture, with her first collection. Pergay went on to design palace interiors for Saudi Arabia’s Royal family and furniture for fashion designer Pierre Cardin, continually evolving her stainless steel designs and incorporating lacquer, wood, and mother-of-pearl. We take a look at some of her more pared back minimal works.